The Defense Ministry’s Hokkaido bureau is considering assigning officials to accompany U.S. servicemen during off-duty outings when they visit the prefecture for a drill later this month, in light of the recent alleged rape of a local girl by a U.S. Marine in Okinawa Prefecture, a senior bureau official said Friday.

A four-day drill will be held Feb. 25-28 at the Air Self-Defense Force’s Chitose base in the southwestern Hokkaido city of Chitose, according to Tomohiko Futamata, head of the planning department at the Hokkaido Defense Bureau.

“We are considering regular patrols of the area when U.S. soldiers go out and in certain circumstances having bureau employees accompany them,” Futamata told reporters after notifying local municipalities of the drill in a liaison meeting.

“We take seriously the unforgivable incident in Okinawa and will strongly request that U.S. soldiers maintain strict discipline,” Futamata said in the meeting.

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